MOSCOW, Russia — Russian President Vladimir Putin was shaken to the core on Saturday, June 24, 2023 morning as he made an unprecedented address to the nation, admitting that he was facing an “armed mutiny” led by former confidante Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner mercenaries.
This insurrection is seen as the gravest threat to Putin’s regime since he took office in 2000.
In a pre-recorded five-minute speech broadcast across the nation, Putin acknowledged that his regime was grappling with “the toughest battle for its future.”
Before the speech aired, Wagner mercenaries, with no resistance, took control of Rostov-on-Don, Russia’s southern military HQ responsible for the coordination of the invasion of Ukraine. Yevgeny Prigozhin recorded a message from the command center, affirming his control over the facility.
Putin, in a somber tone, asserted that he had issued an order for the military to tackle the uprising with “harsh measures.” “All those who deliberately set out on the path of betrayal will suffer inevitable punishment,” he warned.
However, the expected response from the Russian military remained conspicuously absent as the Wagner Group continued to advance.
Britain’s Defence Intelligence agency confirmed that Wagner units were heading north toward Moscow, noting that this represents “the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times.”
Social media was awash with unverified footage of an explosion at an oil depot in Voronezh and an alleged missile strike on a Wagner column.
In a brazen response to Putin’s address, Prigozhin rejected the authority of the Kremlin. “No one is going to turn himself in at the request of the president, the FSB or someone else, no one wants to continue to live in corruption and deceit,” Prigozhin declared. “Those who oppose us are those who have gathered around the scum.”
The astonishing developments have drawn comparisons to historical events such as Russia’s 1917 revolution and Mussolini’s March on Rome.
Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Solovyov, in a video, voiced his disbelief and despair, “Are we really going to allow civil strife now and lose our country? There is nothing more frightening than civil war,” he exclaimed.
The insurrection was sparked by Prigozhin’s claims that the Russian military had attacked his men with missiles. “Those who destroyed our lads, who destroyed the lives of many tens of thousands of Russian soldiers, will be punished. I ask that no one offer resistance,” Prigozhin stated in a fiery audio message.
While Prigozhin seems undeterred by the charges of inciting armed rebellion announced against him, Moscow is rife with tension as security measures escalate.
The unfolding drama has international implications. The involvement of Wagner fighters has been crucial in Russia’s advances in Ukraine.
With the Russian army potentially distracted, Ukraine’s counteroffensive regains momentum. Hanna Maliar, a deputy defense minister of Ukraine, stated on Ukrainian TV that the “main blow is still to come.”
The world watches anxiously as the power struggle within Russia threatens not only the political landscape of the nation but regional stability as well.
